As an example of a manipulation apparatus for directing the operation of a drive device utilized in the movement of an object by an operator, there is a known manipulation apparatus with which the operation of a drive device utilized in the movement of an object is directed by having the operator change the turning amount of relative turning between a housing and a slender member that are connected via a rotary connector (Patent Document 1).
With the above-mentioned manipulation apparatus, or a movement apparatus equipped with the same, there is a known example in which the housing of the manipulation apparatus is held in the hand, and a display component is provided for displaying the direction in which the housing is facing, and therefore the movement direction of the object selected by the operator, at a place that is visible by the operator manipulating the movement of the object (such as the housing of the manipulation apparatus that is in the field of vision when the operator glances down at his hands) (Patent Document 2). In this example, if the display component is installed at a place that can be visibly checked by people around the operator (such as the ceiling, a wall, or the like that is in the field of vision when the operator looks at the moving object), then people around the operator also can ascertain the movement direction of the object and thereby avoid danger. Typical examples of this display component include electro-optical signs and direction indicators that display the direction the housing is facing with text, symbols, numbers, arrows, different colors or shades, flashing lights, or the like, but there are no particular restrictions thereon (see Patent Document 2, paragraphs 0082 to 0084, and paragraphs 0226 and 0268).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-39232
Patent Document 2: WO 2008-099611 A1
In the latter case of prior art (Patent Document 2), it is disclosed that a display component for displaying the direction in which the housing of a manipulation apparatus that is in the field of vision when the operator glances down at his hands is provided to the housing, and that a display component for displaying the movement direction of the object is provided at a place other than the housing of the manipulation apparatus which can be seen by people around the operator.
However, this disclosure is not exactly specific, and no text can be found that teaches or suggests a constitution that takes into account the standing positions, orientation, behavior, etc., of the operator who watches the display component and people around the operator, or a manipulation apparatus that has a compact size and improves manipulation accuracy, or the specific constitution of a movement apparatus equipped with this manipulation apparatus.
Also, although it is disclosed in the latter case of prior art that the display component is provided to the housing of the manipulation apparatus, the display component that is specifically discussed therein is said to compute and display the direction in which the housing is facing and the movement direction of the object on the basis of angle information from an encoder corresponding to the housing orientation (see paragraphs 0266 and 0268, and FIG. 24 of Patent Document 2).
In this case, the presence of an electrical signal processor for performing the computation inevitably makes the configuration of the manipulation apparatus (and particularly the electrical circuits contained in the housing of the manipulation apparatus) correspondingly more complicated, which ends up making the housing larger and less convenient for the operator to use. To make the housing smaller, some special configuration of the manipulation apparatus becomes necessary.